And Then you Left
by Starshine432
Summary: Little 5-year old Bradley’s thoughts on and before the day Braydon was leaving the house. Small snippet from my original work: Us before Him (which is still currently in production and will be updated soon within the week). Enjoy this for a while! (Also on ao3) Slight warning of Child Abuse.


"Where have you been?" was the first thing his daddy had asked when his big brother Braydon had come back home after bed time. His daddy was angry—that he knew. He also knew that this wasn't the first time he had come back home late.

The last time he had told Bradley that he had to stop by his friend's home to help him with some math problems.

He didn't believe him because the purple mark below his eye was something that wasn't there when they both left for school in the morning. And Bradley didn't think you could get injured trying to do some math, because he never got hurt when nana Loretta helped him with his numbers and additions and subtractions. And his mommy and daddy didn't believe him too, so he didn't think he should, 'specially now that Braydon was doing it again. And a lot.

His mommy had come from her office upstairs to yell at Braydon too.

That's when his nana Loretta came to get him from where he was listenin' in on what they were saying, because it wasn't nice to do that. 'Least that's what his nana says, and his mommy a few times when she was the one who caught him first.

Nana took him to his room, walking a little bit faster when he heard his daddy's yelling get louder, and his mommy's yelling getting louder too. It hurt his ears. He wanted them to stop.

His nana helped a little by covering his ears with her big hands, even though he could hear just a bit. But it wasn't hurting his ears anymore, so he was happy.

He wasn't so happy anymore when he heard Braydon yell a lot of things to his parents.

Most of 'em were bad words. He knew because his nana and Braydon told him so. They also told him to cover his ears when he heard someone saying them, so he did, but he forgot Nana Loretta's hands were there too, so all he did was press them to cover his ears some more.

It didn't work.

 _"Fine! Maybe I'll just leave!"_

 _"Maybe you should."_

Silence.

 _"After all you are a waste of my time, and honestly_ , _I think it would do Bradley a lot of good if he's not near incorrigible company like you_. _"Hon, do you think it would be a good idea to split the boys up? Bradley would not be happy_ —"

" _HE'S MY SON AND I DECIDE WHAT'S BEST!_ . . . _Besides, you're welcome to leave with him as well dear_."

 _"How dare_ —"

 _"But I will not make the same mistakes as I did with this piece of trash you call your son_. _You are leaving Braydon, start packing your bags."_

Bradley wasn't really sure how, but he found himself downstairs and out of his room. His nana called after him, but he didn't answer. He needed to go to his big brother. Now.

He almost tripped on the stairs, which would've been awful because that would hurt pretty bad, but he ran as fast as he could and made it to where the yelling was going on. Braydon looked surprisingly at him, and his daddy looked at him the way Braydon looked at bullies who wanted to hurt his brother, except not as bad. His mommy didn't say anything.

"No Braydon! You can't leave." He said with an angry pout and made sure his face looked extra angry so they would see he was right. He turned to his daddy. "Don't make him leave daddy, please." He dragged out the 'please' extra-long and showed him a grin, wanting him to smile a teensy-weeny bit like he always did when he saw the grin and then say that Braydon could stay and they could stop fighting.

His daddy's lips didn't even move. Not even a little.

"No son, Braydon has to go so you can get better." He frowned. "He's bad for you. And you know what mommy and daddy say about bad people."

He looked at him like he wanted him to say something, so he did, remembering when they told him of this all the time. "… Bad people… make other people bad, and when that happens, bad things happen to the world."

"Precisely."

Bradley didn't really know what that word meant yet, but he knew it meant something good, so he smiled to himself. But that was not why he ran away from Loretta. He resumed his pouting, staring up at his daddy's unmoving face. "But Braydon isn't like the bad people. He's my brother, and I—"

"You'll understand when you're older." His daddy quickly said, and turned to Braydon. "Now go up and pack your things. I don't need unnecessary trash littering up my house."

His brother was looking angry at his daddy, but he looked like he was going to listen to him and go upstairs and get his things. And leave the house. And leave Bradley.

He couldn't let that happen.

"No! I'm not letting him go!" He stayed in front of the stairs with his arms spread wide. He hoped it would be enough to stop him. He looked at his dad. "I'm not going to let my big brother leave me!"

"Bradley, it's okay—" Braydon was talking, but he didn't want to listen. Why was everyone lying to him?

"No it's not okay!" Tears peeked out of his eyes and tickled his cheeks as it rolled down his face. His daddy looked annoyed, but he couldn't control it. He just had to cry. Or he was gonna 'splode and then it would be really bad.

"Step out of the way Bradley." He growled, but he ignored him and stretched out his legs too. He was not letting anyone pass until they said his brother was staying. The only way he would go was if they pushed him, but his dad would never. He had never even hit Braydon when he did all those things he knew were bad for him and everyone else.

So he was a bit surprised when someone actually did.

His cheek was hurting really bad where his daddy had hit him, and when he wanted to touch it, it hurt a lot worse. He started full on sobbing when his daddy didn't say anything or apologize and only yelled more. At him this time.

"I told you to leave the way Bradley! That was completely your fault."

"Don't treat my brother that way!" Braydon yelled, but his daddy wasn't having any of it.

"And you shut up! He's hurt because you couldn't follow orders and ended up being useless." He growled. "Now go upstairs and go get your things before I hit him again."

Braydon hesitated, using the opportunity to catch a glimpse of his little brother crying on the floor, trying to touch his stinging cheek and wincing every time he did. His father was going to pay in blood for what he did.

But he didn't look hesitant to throw another hit to the defenseless child, so he simply obeyed and went upstairs.

He would do everything and anything to protect his brother.

Bradley felt someone pull his hand hard, and drag him up from the floor harshly. It was his daddy, and he didn't look happy with him.

"Your brother is already corrupting you son." His voice made him scared, and all he wanted to do was run away. But his daddy was holding his hand. "I wasn't able to stop him from turning into what he is, but I can stop you. Now clean those tears Bradley, I don't want to see them again."

The little boy sniffed, but he nodded and then used his free hand to clean up what he could on his face, which wasn't much. But it was still better than before. He just didn't want to get hit again.

"Loretta!" His daddy called, and his nana came as quickly as she could. She was always very fast when she came to running.

"Take my son back to his room." He gave Bradley to his nana, almost making him fall flat on his face when he was pushed with little care. And with a warning glare sent her way, he added: "And make sure he's not running out into conversations like this again, or I may have to do something about your job. Am I understood?"

"Yes sir, it won't happen again sir." And with that, nana Loretta had carried him up from the floor and into her arms, cradling his head against her chest in a feat to get him to sleep.

He found sleep some minutes later.

He found his rest was nowhere to be seen.

ooo

Bradley watched through his room window as his brother entered a yellow taxi cab after loading his things.

He wasn't allowed to leave his room because his daddy didn't want him interrupting them like he did the night before. So he had his nana Loretta with him, holding him softly against her chest as she hummed old lullabies he didn't know but liked just because his nana was singing it. She had a great singing voice. And he told her that too.

It didn't stop him from crying though. 'Specially when the cab started to drive away.

Because he knew that after this, he would never see his big brother Braydon ever again.


End file.
